The Wellington Arms, Southampton

This place was in my copy of the Good Beer Guide from 2003 so, whilst waiting for a gig to start at the Guildhall (about 10 mins walk away) we took a stroll down.

Well worth the walk, the locals were friendly and the landlord was excellent. My smoking buddies made me sit out in the dark beer garden but we enjoyed a couple of well-kept pints of Old Thumper and the landlord let us have a sample of some American beer... it was nice, but the Ringwood was just the ticket that night.

Definitely gonna keep this one on the radar for future raids into So'ton, well recommended.

26 Nov 2008 20:30

Edwards Bar, Hammersmith

I should have known, not seeing any signage outside, that this place was gonna be crap..

Situated on a corner, this place *looks* like a pub and inside it almost *feels* like a pub... looking around at the tell-tale decor you can tell it *was* a pub, but now it's just an empty old shell with a liquor licence.

There were too many TVs, the menu looked bland and cheap chain... someone had even fled leaving a full bottle of Budweiser on the table. Yes, it must be *that* bad that they left behind their "King of Beers"...

Talking of which, there were NO real ales, not one. I had to settle for Guiness and even then I had to tell the barman how to pull the pint!

The dodgy Eastern Europeans that came in shouting and acting *randomly* behind me were a concern, but luckily I don't keep my wallet in my back pocket.

Awful place, really. I'd rather drink Special Brew out on the pavement than be unfortunate enough to drink in here again.

26 Nov 2008 20:21

The Hammersmith Ram, Hammersmith

Apart from the barmaid who didn't understand who's next at a quiet time, this is a cracking little pub after the ale-less establishment we'd stumbled upon just down the road. Stepping out of a cold, polluted city street into this place was just bliss on a dark winter night.

The Young's Bitter and the Young's Winter Warmer were excellent but the Special was not so good.

This place is definitely on the list for any pre-Hammersmith Odeon (Apollo) nights out.

26 Nov 2008 20:05